Wireless game controller with integrated audio system

ABSTRACT

A wireless computer game controller with integrated audio system that sends and receives audio signal via integrated circuitry provided in the controller. The wireless interface (transmitter/receiver) establishes a communication link to facilitate the transmission of both command signals and audio/video signals between the controller and computer device to thereby provide two-way interaction with the stand-alone computer device within a single accessory device. The controller circuitry also incorporates a speaker or headphone jack to deliver audio stimulation. In the preferred embodiment, the controller sends an audio signal to an ear piece where the ear piece includes a separate microphone to transmit audio to a separate receiver or a third party.

This application claims the benefit of provisional application Ser. No.60/659,106, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the invention

The present invention relates to video game controllers and morespecifically to a wireless controller with integrated audio system forproviding an interactive video game.

2. Description of the Related Art

Computer video games are well known in the art. Such devices range fromsmall hand held all-in-one units, to larger stand-alone units whichinteract with stand alone controllers and stand alone video displaydevices. Small hand held devices are very portable. However, thegraphics and sophistication game play are substantially inferior tostand alone units due limited processing power and associatedperipherals. For more sophisticated play, stand alone computer unitsprovide tremendous processing power and work with associated peripheraldevices, such as a remote controller and television display in anattempt to bring the player a more dramatic gaming experience to that ofhand held devices.

FIG. 1 depicts such a conventional stand-alone computer video gamingdevice. A central stand-alone console contains all the essentialprocessing components to run a computer game. A controller is connectedto communicate operation control commands from a user. A separatedisplay is connected to the gaming deice to display interactive videogaming images. As previously mentioned, this conventional arrangement iswell known in the art.

With the tremendous commercial success of stand alone computer gamingsystems, and entire peripheral market has emerged ranging from advancedvideo controllers, joysticks, steering wheel devices for racing games,multi-tap controllers, vibrating controllers, video stands, audiosystems and the like. Programmable controllers are also available whichallow a user to customize the operation of control buttons and to evenstore and retrieved such customized arrangements.

Furthermore, wireless controllers are becoming increasingly morepopular. However, these wireless controllers are limited in their audiocapabilities.

Current wired controllers include a memory card port capable ofreceiving a memory card shaped audio unit that plugs into the memoryport, whereby a head/microphone system connects into the memory cardshaped unit via an audio plug. These prior art retro-fit systems are notintegrated into the controller circuitry and require additionalcomponents in the form of the memory card shaped unit with an audiojack.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a wireless computer game controllerwith integrated audio system that sends and receives audio signal viaintegrated circuitry provided in the controller. The wireless interface(transmitter/receiver) establishes a communication link to facilitatethe transmission of both command signals and audio/video signals betweenthe controller and computer device to thereby provide two-wayinteraction with the stand-alone computer device within a singleaccessory device. The controller circuitry also incorporates a speakeror headphone jack to deliver audio stimulation. In the preferredembodiment, the controller sends an audio signal to an ear piece wherethe ear piece includes a separate microphone to transmit audio to aseparate receiver or a third party.

The video game controller, which interacts with a stand-alone computergaming system, comprises a hand held body having a plurality ofoperation members logistically positioned for manipulation by a user;transmitter/receiver circuitry integrated into the hand held body forsending and receiving wireless control signals to and from a gamecontroller; and audio circuitry capable of sending an audio signal to atleast one speaker.

The controller includes an audio port adapted to communicate with aheadset that connects with said controller via the audio port, and theaudio signal may be the primary audio signal coming from the televisionand/or game console or the audio signal may be secondary audio, forexample, a different audio signal sent directly from another player'sheadset/microphone. In this case, players may communicate directly witheach other via the headset assembly.

This invention provides an integrated wireless controller circuitrywhere audio is sent by the controller to an ear piece, where the audiosignal not necessarily the same audio that is coming from thetelevision. An audio signal is also transmitted from a microphoneelectrically connected to the controller that permits that player tocommunicate and talk to other players independently of the game console.

With the preferred embodiment of this invention, the wireless controllerincludes an audio jack to provide an electrical connection to a headset;a mute button ; and a volume control switch.

These and other benefits of the present invention will be apparent tothose of skill in the art from the attached drawings and associateddescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration showing an overview of an interactive computergraphics system.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a controller according to one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the controller of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the controller of FIG. 2 taken in the viewIII-III.

FIG. 5 is a schematic showing an exemplary headset and microphonesystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an example of an interactive computer graphics system 50.System 50 can be used to play interactive video games with interestingstereo sound. It can also be used for a variety of other applications.

In this example, system 50 is capable of processing, interactively inreal time, a signal in response to real time inputs from wirelesshandheld controllers 52 a, 52 b or other input devices received by awireless adaptor 68. The wireless adaptor 68 provides the capability ofsending and receiving wireless control signals between the game console54 and the controllers 52 a, 52 b

To play a video game or other application using system 50, the userfirst connects a main unit or game console 54 to a television set orother video display device 56 or other display device by connecting acable 58 between the two. Game console 54 produces both video signalsand audio signals for controlling the video display device 56. The videosignals are what controls the images displayed on the television screen59, and the audio signals are played back as sound through televisionstereo loudspeakers 61L, 61R.

The user also needs to connect game console 54 to a power source. Thispower source may be a conventional AC adapter (not shown) that plugsinto a standard home electrical wall socket and converts the housecurrent into a lower DC voltage signal suitable for powering the gameconsole 54. Batteries could be used in other implementations.

The users typically use hand controllers 52 a, 52 b to control main unit54. Controls (e.g., button, levers, joysticks, etc.) 60 a, 60 b can beused, for example, to specify the direction (up or down, left or right,closer or further away) that a character displayed on television 56should move. Controls 60 a, 60 b also provide input for otherapplications (e.g., menu selection, pointer/cursor control, etc.).Controllers 52 a, 52 b can take a variety of forms. In this example,controllers 52 a, 52 b shown each include controls 60 a, 60 b such asjoysticks, push buttons and/or directional switches. Typically, suchcontrollers 52 a, 52 b may be connected to game console 54 by cables orwirelessly via electromagnetic (e.g., radio or infrared) waves.

To play an application such as a game, the user selects an appropriatestorage medium 62 (e.g., CD, DVD, etc.) storing the video game or otherapplication he or she wants to play, and inserts that storage mediuminto a slot 64 in game console 54. Storage medium 62 may, for example,be a specially encoded and/or encrypted optical and/or magnetic diskthat stores commands for graphics and audio processor 114 and/orinstructions controlling main processor 110 to develop such commands.The user may operate a power switch 66 to turn on game console 54 andcause the main unit to begin running the video game or other applicationbased on the software stored in the storage medium 62. The user mayoperate controllers 52 to provide inputs to game console 54. Forexample, operating a control 60 a, 60 b may cause the game or otherapplication to start. Moving other controls 60 a, 60 b can causeanimated characters to move in different directions or change the user'spoint of view. Depending upon the particular software stored within thestorage medium 62, the various controls 60 a, 60 b on the controller 52a, and 52 b can perform different functions at different times.

FIG. 2 depicts a video game controller 52 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention. The hand held controller 52 ergonomically formedand communicates using wireless signals with the adaptor 68 connected tothe game console 54. The hand held controller 52 includes a plurality ofoperating members for manipulation of the users hand to facilitateinteraction with game play. These operating members are generally knownto those of skill in the art; however, this invention requiresadditional unique control and operating members including an audio jack70 into which a headset 80 is plugged; a mute button 74 to mute thevolume/audio signal; and a volume control 76, for example, in the formof a dial or switch to selectively set the volume of the audio signal.

As known in the art, the controller may be the programmable type,include a vibratory (e.g., rumble) member for heightened game play aswell as lighted buttons etc. In this case, a vibration switch 79 isprovided to control the vibration/rumble function.

The video game controller 52, which interacts with a stand-alonecomputer gaming system, comprises a hand held body having a plurality ofoperation members logistically positioned for manipulation by a user;transmitter/receiver circuitry integrated into the hand held controller52 for sending and receiving wireless control signals to and from a gameconsole 54 via a wireless adaptor 68; and audio circuitry capable ofsending an audio signal to at least one speaker; e.g., a headset 80 asshown in FIG. 5.

The controller 52 includes an audio port 70 adapted to communicate witha headset 80 that connects with the controller 52 via the audio port 70,and the audio signal may be the primary audio signal coming from thetelevision 56 and/or game console 54 or the audio signal may besecondary audio, for example, a different audio signal sent directlyfrom another player's headset/microphone 80. In this case, players maycommunicate directly with each other via the headset assembly 80 toenhance the game experience and player camaraderie.

This invention provides an integrated wireless controller circuitrywhere audio is sent by the controller to an ear piece 82, where theaudio signal not necessarily the same audio that is coming from thetelevision. An audio signal is also transmitted from a microphone 84electrically connected to the controller 52 that permits that player tocommunicate and talk to other players independently of the game console54.

While the foregoing invention has been shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thosepossessing skill in the art that various changes and modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.For example, although this invention primarily relates to a wirelesscontroller, it is also possible to use a communication cable tofacilitate communication with a stand-alone computer gaming device. Thecommunication cable may be employed when the batteries for the wirelessaspect of the controller are being recharged and the communication cablemay be used to transmit both control signals and power to and from thecontroller.

1. A video game controller for interaction with a stand-alone computergaming system, said controller comprising: a hand held body having aplurality of operation members logistically positioned for manipulationby a user, transmitter/receiver circuitry integrated into said hand heldbody for sending and receiving wireless control signals to and from agame console; audio circuitry capable of sending an audio signal to atleast one speaker.
 2. The controller recited in claim 1, furthercomprising an audio port adapted to communicate with a headset thatconnects with said controller via said audio port, said headsetcomprising said at least one speaker.
 3. The controller recited in claim1, wherein said audio signal comprises a primary audio signaltransmitted by said game controller to a primary audio system.
 4. Thecontroller recited in claim 3, wherein said audio signal comprises asecondary audio signal different than said primary audio signaltransmitted by said game controller to said main audio system.
 5. Thecontroller recited in claim 1, further comprising a microphoneincorporated into said headset.
 6. The controller recited in claim 5,wherein said microphone transmits player communication between players.7. The controller recited in claim 6, wherein said microphone transmitssaid player communication between players through said game console. 8.The controller recited in claim 6, wherein said microphone transmitssaid player communication between players without sending any audiosignal through said game console.
 9. The controller recited in claim 6,wherein said microphone transmits said player communication directly toother players sending any audio signal through said game console.